(1) Devotion. Contrary to what many people think, devotion is not a light or insignificant subject. Devotional literature is (or should not be) not light reading, and devotional time is not a few minutes of warm, fuzzy meditation. The word “devotion” comes from the same root as “devout.” It has to do with being “devoted” or “consecrated” to God. So devotional time is not merely time set aside to think about God; it is time spent learning a greater devoutness to God at all other times. Think of it this way: devotional time is time devoted to God — for the purpose of making us more devoted to God. Seen in this way, there is no more important practice than devotional practice.
(2) Christian. These days, “spirituality” is thought of by many people as a very generic thing. But the kind of devotion I am interested in is specifically Christian. While generic meditation may do some good in terms of calming your mind, without the gospel of Christ it won’t get you to heaven. I am still old-fashioned enough to believe the truth of Jesus’ statement: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (Jn. 14:6). It is in Jesus Christ, and in Him alone, that reconciliation with God is available to mankind (2 Cor. 5:18-21).
(3) Daily. Christian devotional practice must be a daily discipline. As with all other kinds of training, the regularity of it is very important. We do not neglect to eat and to sleep every day, and neither can we get by with anything less than the daily practice of devotional training.
So “Christian daily devotion” is the daily discipline of building greater devoutness for God as a Christian.
Gary Henry – WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com
